The HCG diet has received a tremendous amount of attention lately. In fact, so much attention that some make it sound like a cure for obesity has been discovered. However, like most things that sound too good to be true, research is demonstrating that the HCG diet may not be as effective as first thought. As a matter of fact, citing reports of the diets ineffective, and even dangerous, results, the Food and Drug Administration is actually recommending HCG diet alternatives for weight loss.
As people look for alternatives to the HCG diet, it is important to look for a safe, effective weight loss program that naturally increases production of leptin, the body’s number one fat-burning hormone.
Understanding the HCG Diet
HCG is short for human chorionic gonadotropin, a hormone produced during pregnancy and often used to treat issues of infertility and conception. The HCG diet uses oral or injected HCG hormones, in combination with an extremely low calorie diet, often only between 600 to 800 calories a day, to reportedly accelerate weight loss. Proponents of the HCG diet often report significant increase in metabolism and consistent results of weight loss, ranging from 1 to 3 pounds per day.
Doctors and nutritionists agree that HCG weight loss results stems from extreme calorie restriction, not the use of HCG hormones. This rapid weight loss has demonstrated to be problematic and even dangerous, in many cases resulting in exhaustion, dehydration, hormone irregularities and a rapid and irregular heart rate.
Long-term studies have demonstrated that the only safe and effective way to lose weight is through changes in diet and exercise habits. These changes includes making sensible decisions relating to healthy foods and participating in exercise for a minimum of thirty minutes each day. Most fitness and exercise experts suggest establishing a caloric baseline of 1500 to 2000 calories per day, and adjusting caloric intake until finding appropriate weight loss results. Doctors advise setting a reasonable weight loss target of between two and three pounds per week.
Control Leptin Production with Food Choices
There are many ways to influence the production of leptin in the body, including through the foods we eat. Developing an eating plan that maximizes the body’s production of fat-burning leptin is demonstrating to be effective in losing weight in a safe, efficient manner. However, increasing leptin production while reducing caloric intake is proving to be easier said than done. In fact, as you lose fat, leptin production begins to slow down. As you create less leptin, your body burns less fat and actually sends signals to eat more food in an attempt to replace the fat already lost.
Nutritional research into leptin production and weight loss shows that eating a combination of certain foods and using high-quality leptin supplements encourages leptin production, even in the presence of weight loss and reduced caloric consumption.